Maternity at WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital

We proudly offer a nationally recognized, award winning Family-Centered Maternity Care nursing model to the women and families in Lebanon County. Browse our website to see the wonderful maternity services that are available and you’ll soon agree that memories of each new beginning should start here.

The birth of your baby is a life-changing event and we are here to help make it a wonderful experience.

Family-Centered Maternity Care

The New Beginning Birth Suites proudly offers a nationally recognized, award winning Family-Centered Maternity Care nursing model to the women and families in Lebanon County. Family Centered Maternity Care is baby friendly and features mother-baby nursing. New Beginning Birth Suites has earned national recognition for exemplary programs and services in Family Centered Maternity Care. Following an intensive on-site evaluation, Hill-Rom, an industry leader in patient care, announced WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital as a top 3 finalist for the 2005 Family Centered Maternity Care Award.

New Beginning Birth Suites' mission and philosophy of care guide our family friendly nursing staff in helping you with the new relationships and responsibilities of a growing family.

What Is Family-Centered Maternity Care?

The birth of your baby represents the birth of a family as well. You and the people who are important to you are forming a new relationship with new responsibilities to each other, to your baby, and to society as a whole.

Family-centered care may be defined as care that recognizes the importance of these new relationships and responsibilities. The goal of family-centered care is to obtain the best possible healthy outcome for all members of the family, both individually and as a group. (Definition: The International Childbirth Education Association Board of Directors, 1986.)

Family-centered care does not expect you to care for your infant alone when your baby is with you. Instead, a family-oriented nurse will care for both you and your baby, nurturing the bonding and attachment process; in fact, caring for your whole family. Whoever you call family will be included. Your mother-baby nurse will be sensitive to provide care that is flexible for your individual family needs.

What Is Mother-Baby Nursing?

Mother-baby nursing is part of family-centered care.

WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital understands that your baby belongs to you, to your family, and not to the hospital. We are committed to giving each of you the education and support your family needs to welcome your new baby into your lives and your routines.

Mother-baby care is not the same as rooming-in, where you are expected to care for your baby by yourself. Instead, the same nurse cares for both mother and baby in the comfort and convenience of your room.

By caring for your baby at your bedside, mother-baby nurses promote bonding and attachment. As a result, babies are happy and you, as new parents, will leave the hospital more confident in your parenting skills.

What Are the Benefits of Family-Centered Maternity Care and Mother-Baby Nursing?

There is better communication between healthcare providers, including obstetricians and pediatricians who work with one nurse instead of two.

Your questions are answered quickly because your nurse cares for you and your baby.

You and your nurse have a closer relationship because you spend more time with your nurse while she cares for you and your baby.

You receive better education as your mother-baby nurse demonstrates baby care at your bedside. She will also teach you how to best care for yourself.

You don't miss special moments with your baby. Because the baby care takes place in your room, you share in the special moments and have more quiet time getting to know your baby.

There is increased security. Although no one likes to think about it, there are fewer opportunities for abduction to occur if infants are not traveling between mother's room and a nursery.

Babies cry less. Studies have shown that babies actually cry much less when they are close to their mothers.

There is less chance of infection. Because your baby is not routinely exposed to other infants in a nursery, the possibility of getting an infection from another baby is reduced.

Feeding is convenient. You can feed your baby whenever your little one is hungry. If your baby is in a nursery, there could be a delay before a nurse brings the hungry baby to you, especially if several babies become hungry at the same time.

Breastfeeding is likely to be more successful. If babies are fed on demand, breastfeeding is more likely to get off to a good start. Since breastfeeding works on supply and demand, the more your baby nurses, the more your breasts are stimulated to produce milk.

Family bonding is promoted, and babies begin to learn to sleep during the night. Your baby will begin to learn routines right from the start, and you will learn your baby's needs.

Studies Show

A baby in mother's room will:

Cry much less

Seldom startle

Stay warm and stable

Encourage mother's mature breast milk to "come in" sooner

Why?

Because parents are nearby to closely nurture and answer cries.

New Beginning Birth Suites Mission Statement: New Beginning Birth Suites is totally committed to help maintain and when possible maximize the health of the childbearing woman, her infant and her family. The patient's family (as defined by her) is considered an integral part of her care and is encouraged to remain with her throughout the birthing process. Teaching will be instituted to promote active participation in the patient's health care.

This unit exists to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the antepartal, intrapartal, and immediate postpartum patient.

New Beginning Birth Suites Philosophy of Care: It is our belief that each family is special in its' own way. Our goals are:

to make your birth experience a joyous occasion

to offer the best care available

to provide education needed to support you as you adjust to the growth of your family

to respect your beliefs while helping to make the most of your expectations

New Beginning Birth Suites

New Beginning Birth Suites presents a peaceful, yet modern environment for our maternity audience. Each room is structured to provide single room maternity care for the delivering mother and her family. All rooms are equipped for necessary medical procedures during labor and the postpartum period and also provide an area for the baby to stay in the room, privacy and space for visitors.

New Beginning Birth Suites also includes:

Operating Room - Surgical procedures such as Cesarean section deliveries or tubal ligations are performed here.

Recovery Room - This room may be used for recovery following surgery.

Triage Room - Women in early labor are seen here. Depending upon the stage of labor, the mother-to-be stays here for a brief period of time and then returns home if delivery isn't imminent, or she may be transferred to one of the birth suites to continue labor. This room also is used to provide care for women before delivery for testing or with pregnancy related problems.

Nursery - This fully equipped nursery provides care for well babies if mothers need a brief respite. Babies who need a little extra care also may spend some time in the nursery.

Room Service - At Your Request room service dining program. The room service approach is aimed at placing control of meal decisions in the patient's hands; improving food quality since the meal is freshly prepared and focusing on customer service. At Your Request is available for all regular and special diets.

Jacuzzi Room - In this room, women can undergo hydrotherapy to assist with labor. The warmth of the water and the massage of water jets can help comfort laboring women.

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About the provider search

This search will provide you with WellSpan Medical Group and Northern Lancaster County (Ephrata) Medical Group primary care physicians and specialists. If we don’t have a WellSpan Medical Group physician to meet your criteria, the search will expand to include community physicians who partner with WellSpan Medical Group physicians through the WellSpan Provider Network or provide care to patients on the Medical Staffs of WellSpan’s Hospitals.

Schedule Your Next Appointment Online with MyWellSpan

New to this practice?

If you don't have a WellSpan primary care provider and would like to schedule a new patient appointment with a provider who is accepting patients, just log into your MyWellSpan account, and go to the Appointment Center section. As you progress through the scheduling process, you will be able to see the offices that are accepting new patients in relation to your zip code. If you are not enrolled in MyWellSpan, go to https://my.wellspan.org, call 1-866-638-1842 or speak with a member of the staff at a participating facility to sign up. New patient scheduling not available at all practices/programs.

Already a patient at this practice?

If you already have a relationship with a WellSpan practice, simply log into your account, and go to the Appointment Center section. As you progress through the scheduling process, you will be able to schedule an appointment with any provider or practice that already counts you as a patient. Online scheduling varies by practice/program.